Spain still world number one for blue-flag beaches
Wednesday, May 8, 2019 @ 1:32 PM
SPAIN'S beaches may have lost 28 of their blue flags for 2019, but the country continues to hold the record for the highest number of these prestigious kitemarks in the world.
The provinces of Málaga and Huelva have lost eight blue flags apiece, including the former's famous Cabo Pino in Marbella, and the province of Cádiz has lost its quality indicator for is well-known Zahara de los Atunes, whilst that of Almería has also lost one.
Some town halls, however, opted not to apply for blue flags, conscious that they were not up to scratch due to – among other reasons – failure to comply with the Ley de Costas or 'Coastal Law', poor waste management, or inferior bathing water quality.
But with a total of 669 – of which 566 are for beaches, 98 for yachting marinas and five for ports for sustainable craft – Spain still wins hands-down worldwide and has plenty of top-notch beaches for holidaymakers to choose from.
A total of 50 beaches were unable to keep their blue flags, but 25 were awarded to those which did not have one in 2018.
Only three regions saw their blue flag totals rise: the Comunidad Valenciana, which is once again the region with the most, at 150, gained one for the province of Valencia and three for that of Alicante, two of which are in Dénia; the Spanish-owned city-province of Melilla on the northern Moroccan coast gained two, taking its total to four, and another of Extremadura's 'inland beaches' gained a flag, giving the region three.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com